Running CCTV: retention, footage requests and privacy (UK, with US notes)
For people who run a business's CCTV day to day: operations, facilities and office managers, duty managers and security leads. Complete 'Camera placement, privacy notices and lawful use' first, which covers placement, signs and masking from the installer's side. This course covers what happens after installation: checking that each camera's view is still justified, setting and keeping to a retention period, handling police and other third-party requests, responding to individuals who ask for their own footage, and controlling who can view and export recordings. It follows the UK ICO's video surveillance guidance (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018; the ICO says this guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act) and uses California Labor Code section 435 as one example of a US state rule. US law varies by state and city. This course isn't legal advice and doesn't make you a data protection officer; your organisation's policy and legal advice decide.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 88 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Decide whether a camera's view and recording settings are justified for the stated purpose
- Set and document a retention period based on purpose, and preserve footage when there's a reason to
- Handle a request for footage from the police or another third party, and log the disclosure
- Respond to an individual's request for their own footage on time, with other people redacted
- Control who can view and export footage, and identify misuse from an audit log
Course outline
- 1.Deciding whether a camera's view and settings are justifiedLesson · 16 min
- 2.Setting a retention period based on purpose, and preserving footageLesson · 16 min
- 3.Handling a request for footage from the police or another third partyLesson · 16 min
- 4.Responding to an individual's request for their own footageLesson · 16 min
- 5.Controlling who views and exports footageLesson · 10 min
- 6.Running CCTV: retention, footage requests and privacy (UK, with US notes): knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Running CCTV: retention, footage requests and privacy (UK, with US notes): practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- ICO (UK): Video surveillance (including guidance for organisations using CCTV), guidance contents
- ICO (UK): How can we comply with the data protection principles when using surveillance systems? (lawfulness, fairness, transparency, audio, workplace, retention, security)
- ICO (UK): Governance (post-deployment): disclosure, individual rights, redaction (last updated 24 January 2024)
- ICO (UK): Checklist for limited CCTV systems
- California Labor Code section 435 (audio or video recording of employees in restrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms) (US example)
- Axis Communications white paper: Privacy in surveillance (December 2023): static and dynamic masking, export redaction
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.